Spoke-billet, art of manufacture and product.



R. H. COLEMAN.

SPOKE BILLET, ART 0F MANUFACTURE AND PRODUCE APPLICATION man Amas. |917.

Patened Sept. 4, 1917.

` BICI-IARD H. COLEMAN, OF EUNICE, LOUISIANA.

SPOKE-BILLET, ART 0F MANUFACTBE AND PRODUCT.

massen.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4l, fait?.

Application `filed April 23, 1917. Serial No. 163,839.

To all whom it may concern.'

ABe it knownthat` I, R101-IARD H. COLE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Eunice, in the parish of Saint Landry and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spoke-Billets, Art of Manufacture and Products, of which the following specification is a full disclosure.

This invention deals with the production of wheel spoke billets and proposes a unique process or method of sawing board material to form spoke billets in gang form, `with the .billets easily separableone from the` other,

facilitating the production of sawed billets and furnishing a product characterized by its superior capacities, and uniformity, and made at a cost materially less than by methods now prevailing. i y

An object of the inventionV is to render available a manufacturing process enabling spoke billets to be made in gang form from board material and the billets of; then gang easily separable one from the other.,

Another object of the invention is, to formulate a series of cross or 'intersecting saw outs or lines at the opposite ends of a board, each cut or line diagonal to the grain of the wood, and all of an approximate uniform length from the end of the board inward,,to produce,after the board is sawed, a series of miter cut foot and throat spoke portions of a spoke billet, with such portions of oneseparated from itsnext adjacent by the saw cut or kerf and those at one end of the board relatively staggered from those at the opposite end, and by sawing or splitting the intermediate portion of Y the board longitudinally in parallel lines meeting alined ends of said miter sawcuts.

Another object of the invention is to produce a spoke billet which in` an evolutionary form more accurately corresponds` to a turnedand finished spoke, with a minimum material allowance for finish.

i Other objects and advantages will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings, and in part indicated in the following description thereof, and in such drawings like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, of which: 7

Figure l is a plan viewof a board with its ends mitered or sawed for 'forming into 'spoke billets arranged in gang form toibo separated either by splitting or sawing the intermediate portion of the board along longitudinal and parallel lines extended to meet alined points at opposite inner ends of the miter saw lines.

y Fig. 2 is a plan view of an individual spoke billet separated for the board 2 or gang.

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2, but indicating in dotted lines the outline of a finished spoke to characterize the difference in dimensions between the billet and finished product turned therefrom.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a gang of form spoke billets cut from a board.

. Obtaining the board blank is inthe nature of the initial or preparatory stepto i this method. The blank is accurately cut body or barrel portion 2, with a throat portion 3 between the barrel and foot, diminishing in thickness from the foot toward the barrel, flaringly developing to the diameter ofvthe barrel, and a tenon head t. The

. spoke design being such as is generally used for automobile wheels. The blank may be of any width, and which is only a factor as to the number of billets capable of being produced to a gang, and for economy should be of a width to accommodate for producing at least two billets. The blank 5 as shown in Fig. l is of rectangular outline, with two cross cut ends 6 6, and with such straight sawed ends no squaring is necessary to the spoke foot before chucking the billets in a spoke turning lathe. The squaring and sawing ofthe board blank can of course be `done with any of the standard sawing machinos.

The blank length must be suflieient to lll presenting the least quantity of ilietel'el necessary from which it is possible to produce a given size of spoke.

Such arrangement is carried yout in the method and in a very systematic and geometrical form, for rapidly sawing and forming the billets to either furnish individually 0r in gang, of a plurality of billets connected as a unit to be separated by splitting 7*-8, each line diagonal to the grain of the wood or crossing miter cuts, with the corresponding paiallel lines or cuts in an equally spaced relation, whereby' each of two crossing or intersecting lines about the point of intersection will forni two adiacent angles 9-9, and two opposite angles 10-10. The angles 99 forming sides of foot and throat portions of two adjoining spoke billets," with each other by the saw kerfs. The parallel spacing of the cuts or lines, it being understood, is of such degl-ceto provide foi' vthe proper width of spoke-foot, and also at' a required angle for an accurate spoke foot miter. The outer opposite angle 10 represents waste inaterialand the inner opposite angle 10 the pointed barrel ends 12 ofthe billet,l at which the tenon head of the spoke 23.

is turned.

Both ends of the board blank are lcut or sawed, the duplicate of each, except those at one end occupying a staggered relation from those at the opposite end, bringing the ining lines or cuts central with the spoke barrel portion of which the cross cuts form the pointed head.

Thus each pair of intersecting diagonal' cuts forms sides of foot and throat portions of one set of spoke billets and an angle or tended inwardly from the ends of theboard A blank a distance to bring their extremities at a point approximately in alinenient with the inner extremities o f the cuts running tially saw through the material along'the billet separating lines to retain the billet in or separated by saw parallel cuts extending longitudinally with the blank as shownin fromy lumber mill to spoke factory, as billets in gang form to be split or sawed alon the i longitudinal line 1,4 Ito separate the billets.

For some users it may be desirable to parspoke billets each with miter cutfoot porsans, but efislrbrokea apart beffa@ Chudliiig in a spoke turninglathe.

'lheV billets in gang form are more convenient to handle in shipping and for storvlessenthei-cost of man nfacture,Vv and producmg accurate forms. q 1

In providing billets. with accurately tered and squaredifoot portions theycan be J quickly. centered i and Y ehuckedzfn the turning lathe,= oifering a mateiaalfsaving oftime and laborto the spoke manufacturer anda means for increasinghisicapacityVWliich is v furtherenhanced by the minimum amountrg5 f of materialonly required vto be turnedioif for l finishing the spoke.:

the foot cut to a proper miter, and provides 1 'the billets at such portions separated from It Willthuslbe seen that the invention is chines, and is notainere fu-nction of any given machine.

" The \miteror\diagonal cuts could bemade: Ainto the opposite ends-of log'. material of the required length and-the log afterward saWediint-o board thickness, Within `the concept ofA this invention..

Having describedmy invention, I claim:-

1. A method vof the character disclosed consisting .in making a-series of approximatelyr equallengthfsaw cuts into 4the oppo-4 tersecting points of each pair Aof intersectsite crosscut `ends of a rectangular wood blank vand Veach cut diagonally- Y to the :grain of the blank, correspondingtc lines 4arranged. v in intersecting pairs, and -thepairs of al series in definite spaced relation, and those at cne end of the blank in a staggered relation to those at the oppositeend.-

2. A method 'of the-character disclosed consisting in` cuttinga` series of X-cuts in spaced relation into theopposite crosscut ends of a yrectangular woodblank, with the -X-cut at one end/in a staggered relation to.

those at theopposite end foi-,miiigmiter cut .spoke foot portions; at both ends ofV said into the opposite end of the blank, which f will enable the billets of the gang to be split blank.` .Y

\ 3. A method of the character disclosed consisting incuttinga series of v)(-cuts inf spacedrelation into the opposite vends of a rectangular blank fora determi-ned distance .with the X-cuts at one end in a'staggered relationV tothose at the opposite end, andeutting the intermediate portion of the blank along spaced longitudinal lines to meet' the inner extremities of the said opposite X-'cuts at alined points for forming the blanks into izo 4. An article of manufacture comprising spoke billets arranged in gangs, having their spoke foot portions at opposite ends relatively alternate and united at the intermediate spoke barrel portion.

5. An article of manufacture comprising a spoke billet having miter saWed spoke foot, throat and head portions.

6. An article of manufacture comprising` spoke billets arranged in gangs having their foot portions alternating at opposite ends and separated and united at their intermediate spoke barrel portions, and capable of being split apart.

7. An article of manufacture comprising spoke billets in gangs With miter savved spoke foot, throat and head portions separated from correspondingportions of a next adjacent arranged relatively alternate With the barrel portions united side by side.

8. An article of manufacture comprising spoke billets in gangs With miter sawed spoke foot, throat and head portions sep arated from corresponding portions of a next adjacent arranged relatively alternate with the barrel portions united side by side, and longitudinal with the grain of Wood, adapting the billets to be separated by splittm 9g An article of manufacture comprising spoke billets in gangs With inish cut spoke foot, throat and head portions, arranged alternate relative to a next adjacent billet and separated therefrom, andthe spoke barrel portion of the series parallel side by side and partially severed.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the two subscribing Witnesses.

\ RICHARD H. COLEMAN.

Witnesses;

l/V. N. RAY, J. J. STAGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents'each, by addressing the C nnmissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

